Please don’t forget what Memorial Day is about

Where we stand

May 28, 2012

Today is Memorial Day and it certainly isn't a stretch to say it might be the most misunderstood holiday on the calendar.

For a great many of us in Superiorland and elsewhere in the United States, today is a day to spend with family and friends, to unlimber the grill and enjoy the beverage of choice.

And truth be told, there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that, providing we keep in the back of our collective minds what the holiday is all about.

The holiday can trace its roots all the way back to the Civil War. After the Confederacy surrendered, a whole host of communities - north and south - set aside special days to remember the sacrifices made by their respective militaries.

Over the years, different states, and indeed, different communities in different states, observed Memorial Day on different days.

Then, in 1968, Congress approved the Uniform Holidays Bill, which, among other things, established a national Memorial Day.

So enjoy yourself today. Relax with friends and family, cook out in the backyard or deck, have a drink of your choice, but don't forget the sacrifices made by the servicemen and women of World War I so long ago. There may be only a handful of those folks left.

And the people who beat Hitler and Tojo in World War II. Nearly one thousand die each day.

Keep in mind the veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars, who are, so often it seems, overlooked unless someone is finding fault or complaining about something they did.

And in all of the fights we've been in since Vietnam, in places like Panama and the Middle East, remember men and women who wear the uniform of the United States.